It Felt Like Something Else
by Refrone
Summary: Akira is going to go soon, and Ryuji expressed his thanks before it's too late. Who knew that it would develop something unexpected?
1. Cold, yet Warm

It was a cold day outside. Spring was slowly coming, but the white scenery looked like it,sgoing to stay for a little while more. The shades of white were decorated with red ribbons and flowers. An unusual view for a normal winter day, but it was a bit more than an usual day anyway.

It was the day after valentine's day. Chocolates were on sale everywhere. Perfect day for those who didn't get any chocolate the day before and for those who's just a choco lover.

For Ann, It's pretty much like a blessing from God, being a sweet tooth she was. Even when she already received a lot of chocolate on valentine's, there was no such thing as too much chocolate for Ann. She always responded with a thank you to all who confessed to her, but she always ended it with the 'let's just be friends' curse. Akira didn't even know why she did what she did. The most popular guy in school could go confess to her and she would still refuse. But Akira respected her decision, he thought Ann could just do what she wanted to do. Maybe she just hasn't found the right one yet.

Though the same could apply to Akira. He's undoubtedly charming, maybe even too perfect to exist. But there he stood, no lover and no complaints whatsoever about it.

A lot of girls from school were actually interested in him. But it seemed that they were still intimidated by his criminal record. Even though they couldn't see why he got his record in the first place. He seemed like a normal-a star student even. None of them caught Akira's attention, though. Except for his teammates and Ms. Kawakami who in a way got close with Akira because of some 'uncommon' circumstances.

But It's not the same for the girls outside school Akira came to know so much about. Akira didn't know whether they had no hesitation spending time with him because they didn't know about the record, or they were just kind and unjudging people. Though Akira believed it's the latter, he could sense it and he's usually right about it. Then again, even with that many female connections, Akira didn't go the romantic way with any of them even though he could easily go that way.

The Phantom Thieves girls, though. Akira saw them almost everyday, and became close with every single one of them. From the popular Ann to the modest Haru. Akira always listened to their problems and just involuntarily help them manage with whatever they're going through. As a result of his actions, each one of them became interested in him, and Akira knew about it. But he still didn't go for any of them for whatever reasons he had.

Despite his over-the-top charm, nobody gave him valentine's chocolate. They probably already knew that they would just do that for naught, since Akira didn't seem to be interested in anyone. He was very nice and thoughtful to them, but that's it.

Though technically, he did get a valentine's chocolate. But it wasn't anything fancy nor it had any feelings attached to it. Akira wasn't dating anyone, so it was to be expected. He did not think he would still get chocolate though, even though it was not any sort of confession or show of love or any sickly sweet things.

He got that chocolate from Ryuji, who got it for free from a store lady out of pity. It was just a small and cheap chocolate that could easily be gone in just one bite. It was plain yet still got the sweetness chocolate should have. Akira appreciated it nevertheless.

Now that valentine has passed, though the mood is still there, Akira just continued living his normal life.

Yes, normal. Just like a guy his age, with no more business with being a leader of a group of heart stealers.

It's just a month before he will part with everyone. He's sure that he will miss everyone he met here. He had no intention to cut connections with any of them, though. He would contact them via phone or chats, and maybe come visit on long holidays. Most of the people he had come to know were pretty unique-if not weird. Probably because he somehow attracted troubled individuals and outcasts to him.

Since his time was running low, he thought he should do everything he had wanted to do there. He was sitting on his bed, thinking about what he would do that day. Morgana was still sleeping near him, probably because of the perfect weather for naps.

Akira was just about to pick up his phone to check his schedule when his phone suddenly rang. He wondered who could it be this early in the morning. Usually if it's early, it's 3 AM early. But this was 7 AM, the time Akira usually woke up and not woken up by the ring. He looked at the name shown on his phone screen.

-Ryuji Sakamoto is calling-

Akira formed a smile at that. Out of his friends, Ryuji called and texted him the most. Moreover just yesterday he came to Leblanc because of the lack of valentine spirit and partner. Akira always enjoyed looking at his rebel friend's reaction to everything. He was true to his feelings, nothing held back. He was naive and never filtered his choice of words, almost like a child. But he always said what exactly he was thinking that time. It's not rare that his bluntness in everything brought him and the whole Phantom Thieves group into trouble, though. Even so, it could usually be dealt with easily with Akira's calm and cool composure. Akira wondered what his loud blonde best friend was up to.

"Hello?", Akira answered. With a flat but not intimidating tone he always had.

"Yo." Ryuji said, with his carefree voice. He paused for a moment. "Mind if I crash at your place again today?"

"Yeah, sure." Akira said with a faint hint of excitement. Somehow he already knew that Ryuji's going to ask to come over. He had always been a great mood booster, with his stupid yet amusing actions. "You coming now?"

"'Course! I'm gonna rot out of frickin boredom in here..." Akira could hear sounds of objects getting shoved here and there. Surprisingly, even with how long he had stayed at Leblanc, Akira had never seen Ryuji's room even once. He had come to his apartment, though-for Operation Maidwatch. But Akira could pretty much guess that his room is a shipwreck from his personality and that rummaging sound he always heard whenever he's on the phone with Ryuji.

Akira snickered at that. "Alright then, see you soon."

"See ya." And with that, the call dropped.

Akira went downstairs after that, telling Sojiro that Ryuji's coming over, again. Sojiro just responded with a sigh and his usual 'just don't cause any trouble'. The cafe was still open and Akira knew well that Ryuji getting loud downstairs and piss Sojiro off was the last thing he wanted to happen. Even though the customer count at Leblanc was less than the number of times Morgana told him to sleep.

A short while later, the cafe door sprung open. Ryuji casually walked in with his usual puffy purple hoodie a couple of plastic bags in hand.

"Hey, Boss!" He greeted Sojiro while reaching for whatever he was searching in one of the bags.

Ryuji then put a box of chocolate on the counter, pushing it softly towards Sojiro. "I've been comin' over a lot so… I thought I gotta get you somethin' for once.", Ryuji spread a smile. "It's nothing worth much but I hope you like it anyway."

Sojiro's eyes widened a bit seeing what's in front of him. He then smiled, taking the chocolate and put it under the counter. "You don't need to, you know? I don't want to give away a vibe of a kid robber", Sojiro chuckled. "But thanks. Looks like you got some manners."

Ryuji just grinned at that and told Boss he's heading upstairs. Sojiro responded with a nod.

Akira was just sitting on the sofa, talking about stuff with Morgana. Morgana was actually a nice friend to talk to. Whenever Akira got something in mind, he liked to talk about it with Morgana, and the other way around. Akira and Morgana both had their preferences in things, but they wouldn't force their opinions to each other. Morgana always gave Akira good little advices, too, even though he thought Morgana needed to slow down a bit in terms of telling Akira to sleep.

Then they both heard sounds of footsteps coming their way. Akira and Morgana instinctively look at the stairs. Morgana knew Ryuji's coming. He wasn't fully sleeping when Akira was on the phone with Ryuji, so he overheard it. When they saw a glimpse of messy yellow hair they knew it was the person they were expecting. Morgana just sighed, knowing that the blonde would mess around with him like usual. It's not that Morgana dislike Ryuji, though, they both actually care for each other.

"Hey, man.", Ryuji walked over to Akira, grinning. Then he noticed Morgana, barely. "And cat".

"What? So I'm just an add-on here?", Morgana hissed. "Useless yellow hair!"

"What was that you stupid cat?!" Ryuji growled at Morgana and Morgana did just the same. Akira just stared at the two and made a small laugh. It's always entertaining to both of them like this.

"Hmph, whatever", Morgana stepped down from the sofa. "I'm just gonna take a walk. My mood is ruined with the blondie here." Morgana said while walking towards the stairs.

"Yeah and don't come back you dumb cat!" Ryuji said, with a frown. He was actually joking, though. He's never serious whenever he said something like that to Mona. And since that one incident when Morgana ran away, Morgana got used to how Ryuji talked to him and acknowledged that it was all a joke. Ryuji also, though still acting as reckless he normally was, started to control his words towards Morgana so that he wouldn't go overboard like before, preventing the accident from happening again.

Akira just looked at Ryuji from the sofa, facing his back. After moments of incomprehensible shouting, and a reply from Sojiro to turn it down, Ryuji then shortly turned back and sit beside Akira, putting his plastic bag on the floor near him. He was mumbling things like 'stupid cat'.

"How could you be fine with him stayin' with you, man?" Ryuji asked.

"He's just like that to you, you know.", Akira made a small yet genuine smile. "He's actually quite a good company."

Ryuji leaned back to the sofa, resting his arms. "Oh yeah?", Ryuji said while looking at the ceiling.

Ryuji's feet made contact with the plastic bag and made a little rustling sound. He then lifted his torso and looked at the bag. Akira did the same. He wondered since Ryuji came up what was in the bag. The bag actually looked pretty fancy, despite it being plastic. Which was weird for Ryuji to brought along.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot..." Ryuji reached his hand in the bag and took out another box of chocolate. This one was slightly different from Sojiro's. It's assorted with different kinds of chocolate while Sojiro's was entirely dark chocolate. The package was more detailed, too. With a mini ribbon on the upper corner and a see-through box. It's almost cute, maybe too cute coming from someone like Ryuji.

He then handed the chocolate to Akira. "I dunno which kinds you like, man. So I just bought one with all the flavors." Ryuji made a small laugh.

Akira stared at the box in confusion. He felt happy, though. "Wow... Thanks a lot. That's incredibly nice of you." Akira smiled and put the box on his desk.

"Yeah, man. Don't sweat it." Ryuji smiled back.

"But why?", Akira asked. "Is this a real confession this time?". Yesterday, on valentine's day to be exact, Akira joked about why Ryuji gave him that mini cheap chocolate. He's doing it again, since Ryuji's responses were never boring.

"Dude, stop sayin' that!" Ryuji laughed sheepishly. The laugh was followed by a smile. Ryuji then uncommonly stopped talking, with his head facing forward. He then slowly moved his gaze downwards, still making a faint smile.

It was a bit hard for Akira to notice, but he's sure the smile was a sad one.

The loud Ryuji went silent there. And Akira just stared at him, wondering what was wrong with his best friend. That smile… Was it something he did? Akira thought.

After the silence that seemed too long than normal, and the uncomfort they're both feeling at the same time, Akira decided to break the silence.

"...Ryuji?" Akira said in a low and soft voice, genuinely filled with concern. Akira moved his face downwards to get a better look at Ryuji's expression.

Ryuji, who seemed like he was in a daze, twitched his body in surprise. It seemed like Akira broke the thoughts Ryuji was having just earlier.

"Oh, uh, yeah?" Ryuji faced Akira, not exactly making eye contact. His focus was still down there, like he's staring at the floor looking for something. It's like Ryuji's refusing to look straight at Akira's eyes.

"You okay?" Akira's eyebrows furrowed a bit, feeling a bit sad and disappointment with the fact that he didn't know why his friend was like this and he couldn't do anything about it. Akira had always been the type that cares for others, putting them above himself. Especially someone he cherishes. Though he didn't show it in words. Probably the reason why people were attracted to him.

"...Yeah" Ryuji said, almost silently. He then suddenly brought his face back up. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

Ryuji made a grin, it was too obvious for Akira not to see the fakeness of that expression. Ryuji's small eyebrows twitched a bit, showing that he's forcing the grin. But Akira decided to just go with it. He knew Ryuji's trying his best to cover what he's really thinking, and Akira didn't want to force him to talk about it with him. He thought it's best to wait for Ryuji to mention it himself when he felt like talking about it.

"So… uh…" Ryuji looked around, appearing to be looking for something. The retro game console Akira bought caught his attention. "Oh, right… You wanna play some games?" Ryuji asked Akira, trying to look happier than how he actually was.

Akira stared at Ryuji's face for a bit, not saying anything. But quickly responded with "Yeah, sure."

Akira then set the game up, putting the cartridge and plugging both controllers in. The old console was all he had and all he could afford. Even though going in Mementos back then made him a ton of money, he spent it for equipments and meds for infiltrating palaces and destroying that giant being calling itself God. In the end he could only save so much money. At least he could still afford this to play with Ryuji and the others.

Akira handed Ryuji the controller and started the game. It was an old-school fighting game. Akira was pretty decent at it, he's far from how good Shinya was with shooting games, but his skills was above average. Even until now Akira still wondered how an elementary schooler could get that good with controlling guns and unofficially ended up being Akira's master.

He didn't know about Ryuji, though. They had only played retro shoot-em-up games before. Ryuji was quite good at it. Maybe he's just as good with fighting games?

"Ooh… A fighting game, huh?" Ryuji sounded interested. "Y'know, I always just do some mad button mashing whenever I'm playing these kinda games." Ryuji laughed.

"No worries, I do that, too." Akira replied with a chuckle. "'Guess we'll just have to find out who's better at smashing their buttons." They both just laughed at that.

So then the game started, both of them picked their characters. Akira picked pretty much randomly, though he ended up with a mysterious-looking character, not exactly muscular but seemed skilled with weapons. While Ryuji picked the exact opposite, the most strong-looking character in the game in terms of physical appearance.

It was a tight match, both were skilled with button-mashing. Their scores were pretty much equal though they keep doing rematches with different characters. Ryuji was acting like he usually was, loud and emotional, but it was only for first three matches.

On the fourth match and latter, Ryuji seemed to be more untalkative and slowly losing his focus. He was easily beaten by Akira, with repetitive 2-0's. Akira stole a glance at Ryuji, curious about what was going on with his friend that time. And there it was, the same expression he had just before they played the game.

Akira couldn't take it anymore and decided to pause the game. Ryuji, with his little attention, noticed that the game wouldn't respond to his controller. "...Huh?"

Akira slowly stood up and walked to his desk. Ryuji noticed Akira moving and stared at him. Akira brought over the chocolate Ryuji just gave him a while ago to his previous position. He opened the lid and looked at all the varieties of chocolates, searching for the one he wanted.

"You like sweet ones, right?" Akira took out a piece of milk chocolate and moved his hand towards Ryuji's mouth. "Maybe this will cheer you up?"

Ryuji just stared at Akira's hand, unsure on how to respond. "Huh? It's for you, man. You don't hafta give me any of those."

"What if I want to? You seem to be losing concentration anyway. It wouldn't be a fair match." Akira stared right into Ryuji's eyes, making a smile so genuine it was sweeter than the chocolate right in his hand.

Ryuji's cheeks turned into a faint shade of red. That affectionate smile of his had always been enticing. He's pretty sure it's not just him who thought that. The others would think so, too… right? After all, it's pretty rare for Akira to made an actual smile and not a smirk. "Geez, man. Fine, then. Don't mind if I do."

Ryuji ate the chocolate from Akira's fingers and started chewing it like he was eating bubblegum. Ryuji probably wouldn't feel right feeding off a friend's fingers like this, but he had become so close, so comfortable with Akira that he really wouldn't mind doing something like this with him. It just felt normal.

"I thought you're supposed to let it melt in your mouth…" Akira said.

"What? Who the hell eats chocolate like that?" Ryuji chuckled, a genuine one this time. What Akira did seemed to brighten up Ryuji's mood a bit.

"I guess I like to do things the weird way, then." Akira grinned. And they both just laughed for a moment, enjoying each other's company.

It went silent again, but not completely. Akira could hear Ryuji's chewing. It somehow felt nice hearing that, much better than the complete silence they just had earlier. At least he knew that Ryuji's consciousness was still there in his room, and not somewhere else.

The chewing suddenly stopped. "It actually tastes pretty good." Ryuji said while wiping some melted chocolate off his mouth. "Now I'm startin' to regret givin' that to you." Ryuji said, jokingly.

"You can just take it home if you want." Akira said.

"It was a joke, man. Don't take everything so seriously." Ryuji grinned. "Thanks, though."

"For?

"For givin' me one of those." Ryuji said.

Akira smiled. "It's no big deal. I wouldn't be able to finish it all by myself anyway."

Ryuji smiled back. "Welp. If you say so."

There was a somewhat comforting atmosphere, just making some small talks with Ryuji like so. Akira himself, just like how Ryuji was with Akira, felt the most free talking with Ryuji than he was with anybody else. Might be because Ryuji was the first one Akira had talked heart-to-heart with, back then at the ramen place. Ryuji actually had a soft heart, he cared a lot about people he thought were important to him. Akira had repeatedly been flattered by Ryuji by how he got so fired up about making Shido pay for what he did to Akira's life. Ryuji was the only one who forwardly and confidently said that it was for Akira other than to justify Shido's actions. Ryuji was as important to Akira as how Akira was that important to Ryuji.

Which is why Akira became devastatingly sad when Ryuji suddenly stopped talking again, making a surprisingly unreadable expression. Ryuji had always been the most oblivious among the group, but Akira's really having a hard time guessing what he's thinking about right now. Akira didn't know what to do. He had never seen Ryuji like this. He had never seen Ryuji faking anything before. When he's sad he would usually just pent it out to Akira and let Akira know all about it. But this… Ryuji's trying to hide something from Akira.

Just before Akira broke the silence again, Ryuji opened his mouth. "...And for everything."

"Huh…?" Akira said, both in surprise and uncertainty.

Ryuji closed both his eyes and gripped on the sofa, as if getting ready to say something important. He then took a breath in and faced Akira, a determined face formed on his face, but his body was shaking slightly.

"Thanks for everything… Akira."

Akira widened his eyes at that. What's with the dramatic tension they're having right now? It somehow sounds like Ryuji's going to go somewhere far away. It sounded like a farewell, like they're going separate ways. Like they're not going to see each other for a long time.

Ah, yes. It's not Ryuji. It's Akira that's going to leave everyone behind, including Ryuji.

"You've been a really great friend. I'm not sure I'm ready to see you go yet." Ryuji said. "I'm seriously gonna miss you a lot, man..." Ryuji's face looked a bit sad. "I never would have thought that you would make that much of an impact to me, you know? It's a bit weird. Not in a bad way, of course." Ryuji said, with a little grin.

Ryuji averted his gaze to the chocolate box he brought for Akira. "The truth is, I bought you that chocolate 'cause I felt like I haven't given you enough already. Not as much as what you gave me all this time." Ryuji's eyes focused back to Akira.

"You really helped me through rough times, man. Always bein' there for me when I need a hand, always supportin' this rebel kid from school even when people told you not to. You're… the only one who ever did that to me." Ryuji paused for a bit. "You gave my life a meaning, excitement… a reason to keep goin' forward… Wow, that sounded hecka cheesy." Ryuji chuckled while scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"But it really means a lot to me, YOU really mean a lot to me, man. I mean it." Ryuji stared right into Akira's eyes. "So I thought I had to do something. I had to give you something in return. Especially since you're gonna be gone soon... Sorry I can't give you anything fancy, I only have that much of money on me. And we can't go to Mementos anymore to get loots. I hope it still counts as something." Ryuji chuckled sadly.

Akira couldn't think of anything to say. He just stared at Ryuji, wide-eyed. Ryuji looked so lost, so miserable, so frustrated. He looked like a lonely puppy asking for care. Akira couldn't help the urge to hug his friend.

So he did just that. He embraced Ryuji into a tight hug. Lowering Ryuji's head onto his shoulder. Ryuji widened his eyes at the sudden action. He was surprised, but he did nothing about it. Instead, he closed his eyes and just let Akira did what he did.

They stayed like that for a while. The only sound that can be heard was the sound of coffee brewing downstairs. Akira felt on his shoulder that Ryuji was about to say something.

"I… really don't want you to go, man..." Ryuji furrowed his eyebrows. Akira could feel Ryuji burying his face to Akira's shoulder. Ryuji made a whining sound. "Shit… I'm a huge mess, huh…? Haha… This is really embarrassin'..."Beat all who gets in my way" my ass… I can't even let a single friend go." He made a weak laugh.

It felt like Ryuji's sadness was transferring into Akira slowly. It hurted. It hurted seeing his friend like this. It hurted to know that his friend became like this because of him. But Akira was also happy, knowing that Ryuji felt that way about him. The same way as Akira felt about him.

"I'm really going to miss you, too, Ryuji. A lot." Akira let his face land on Ryuji's hair. Ryuji's hair was messy like Akira, but oddly soft. It smelled and felt nice.

"I've never had a friend who's so passionate and caring as you, Ryuji. Whenever you stood up for the others, for me, I thought you were amazing." Akira laughed a bit. "You're the closest friend I have. You've pretty much been with me since the start too, right? Even though I'm just a new kid you have nothing to do with who almost made you dead in a random castle." Akira laughed. Ryuji's small laugh vibrated to Akira's body.

"Also, don't say that you haven't done enough for me. You've given me a lot already. You were trying to protect me back in Kamoshida's palace, didn't you? Even though it turned out to be the other way around." Akira snickered. "Also back then after we beat up Shido? You saved all of us, including myself. You still think that's not enough? You even made me worry back then." Akira sighed.

Neither of them said anything for a while. Akira just softly rubs Ryuji's head, playing with his hair a bit. It felt nice, it felt warm and comfortable. Akira thought Ryuji was weirdly cute opening up like this, but he wouldn't say that to Ryuji because he thought it would just make him think that Akira's messing around with him. He would not say it right now, at least.

Akira then suddenly tighten the hug and said,

"I'm really glad I met you, Ryuji."

Ryuji's heart skipped a beat at that. Akira could feel Ryuji shivering in his hug. He gripped into Akira's back so tightly it felt like his clothes would rip.

"M-man... How could you say somethin' like that so easily? Nobody ever said something like that to me…" Ryuji's face felt warm." I-I'm real happy… You got no clue how happy I am right now, g-goddammit…"

"Me too, Ryuji." Akira released the hug and held Ryuji's shoulders, pushing them backwards slowly, letting Akira see Ryuji's face and the other way around. Ryuji's expression was a mix of happiness, confusion, and embarrassment. His entire face was red, his eyebrows wrinkled, and his eyes were slightly wet.

Akira then smiled widely, a smile he had never shown anyone before. Ryuji opened both his mouth and his eyelids widely in surprise.

"Me too."


	2. Sometimes Honesty is The Better Choice

"Hello? Earth to Akira?"

Ann snapped her fingers in front of her constantly-drowsy classmate. He made a small, almost inaudible gasp in response. Ann moved her face towards Akira's to take a better look at his seemingly tired face.

"Hey… You okay? You've been spacing out a lot lately." Ann asked, moving back to her seat and resting her cheek on her hand.

The whole group was at Leblanc, spending the last few days they had before Akira's departure. Ann and Makoto were sitting across Akira, Morgana on the bar counter, Haru and Yusuke on the bar stool, Futaba standing near the bar, and Ryuji sitting beside Akira. They were supposed to plan on something to do that day instead of just sitting there, which they have done a bit more than a lot. But they couldn't make much progress when the star of the meeting kept surrounding himself with his own thoughts

"Oh. Sorry." Akira replied. Quick and insightful.

"Not feeling too good today?" Makoto asked, while straightening up her sitting posture.

Akira covered his mouth and yawned. He still had that just-got-up-from-bed face going on even though he already washed his face beforehand. Akira had always looked sleepy, but it was rarely this visible and noticable.

"No, I'm okay." Akira said while softly rubbing his eyes. He was lucky he had that bedhair hairstyle, otherwise he would look even more like someone who stayed up last night because of some nightmares or something. "Just been getting less sleep these days, I guess."

"You wanna go get some rest and do this some other day, man?" Ryuji asked, face turned and concerned, looking straight at Akira's face. On most occasions, almost always, Ryuji sat beside Akira. Because even though he was friends with every other team members, he was the closest to his ex-leader. And Akira didn't mind at all constantly sitting beside him. His noisy voice often stayed him awake anyways.

"Or maybe you should get Sojiro's coffee. It should help you stay awake, right?" Futaba suggested, with both her hands on her back, her usual cute pose.

"That is true. The distinctive and refreshing taste of Boss' homemade coffee is certainly a treat people don't want to miss. It would certainly keep you awake." Yusuke nodded to himself, smiling, like he learned something completely new and interesting.

"That's not what I mean, weird Inari." Futaba scoffed at the tall, slender male. With no concern about her being the other unusual one in the team. Futaba always liked picking on Yusuke, and Yusuke always went along with it. Probably because they both have their own unique way of thinking.

"It is true that Boss' coffee tastes wonderful, though." Haru smiled. She always had been a fan of both Boss' coffee and curry, and always considered Sojiro a culinary professional. Which is why she liked to request Sojiro to taste her handgrown vegetables.

"As expected, it is not something to be understood by someone who has no appreciation nor understanding on the beauty of flavors." Yusuke smiled, seemingly proud.

"Grr…" Futaba growled. It's more adorable and mischievous than threatening, really.

"You two just won't stop fighting won't you?" Morgana sighed while licking his paws.

"Aren't you the same with Ryuji, Mona?" Ann asked playfully.

"C'mon, Ann. Don't compare me to a frickin cat." Ryuji exhaled, an expression of disgust formed on his face.

"I should be the one saying that, yellow-haired moron!" Morgana hissed at Ryuji, stiffening up his body as if ready for a fight.

"You askin' for trouble, idiot cat?!" Ryuji stood up suddenly, his hands clenched. The table shook a bit because of his motion.

"Bring it on, dimwit!" Morgana readied himself.

They both just growled at each other.

"Hey, I know you're all having your own fun, but I think we should tone our voices down a bit." Makoto said, pointing at Boss crossing his hands near the kitchen. They all went immediately silent after that.

"Uh… Sorry, Boss." Ryuji said, apologetic.

Sojiro just went, 'heh'. "You kids just enjoy your time. The cafe's not open today anyway. But like what Miss Nijima said, think about these old ears of mine." Sojiro said while looking around in the fridge, probably making sure the curry stock is enough for the next time the cafe's open.

Nobody actually expected Sojiro to close the shop today. It wasn't any sort of special day or anything. The cafe was open yesterday, too. Akira thought it was either because he was in a good mood, or he's being extra nice knowing that soon his cafe attic will no longer have any occupant in it. But nevertheless, they were all grateful to Sojiro.

"Thanks for lending the place for us!" Ann said with that cheerful voice of hers.

"It's no big deal." Sojiro answered, his focus still on the fridge. "Felt like I needed to pay the yellow-haired boy for the chocolate anyway. It tasted pretty good." Sojiro raised one side of his mouth, making a smirky grin.

The whole group except Ryuji made a surprised face, then turned their gaze to him. Ryuji's body arched back, turned out he's not at all less surprised than any of his friends.

"Wait, you gave Boss chocolate?" Ann asked, mouth open. "Was it Boss' birthday or something?"

"No, no, it's nothin' like that. It's just…" Out of all times, it was the worst time possible for him to get reminded about yesterday's events. Even though it wasn't exactly about the Boss. "...It's just kinda hard to explain, okay?"

"Actually, I got one, too." Akira said all of a sudden, just like how he moved around back when they were still Phantom Thieves.

"Great, just great. Now what the heck do I say?" Ryuji thought to himself.

They all just looked at each other.

"Um, was it like… Valentine's chocolate?" Ann asked, putting her finger near her lips.

"I guess so. The wrapper was pretty fancy." Akira said.

All of them widened their eyes, while Sojiro just raised an eyebrow, staring at whatever's going on in his raided cafe. They weren't expecting anything like that to happen. It wouldn't be a surprise for them if Ryuji didn't get any valentine's chocolate, but they also didn't think Ryuji would be the giving end, and moreover, to Akira.

Morgana suddenly went from laying down to sitting straight up. "Wait, so that chocolate was from Ryuji?!" After Ryuji went home yesterday and Morgana came back from walking around, Akira decided to spare some chocolate for Morgana since it was a lot for him to finish himself. Akira just responded with a nod.

They all went silent, didn't know exactly what they're supposed to say. Ryuji just stood there, gripping on his pants and facing downwards, hiding his huge embarrassment. He knew, he knew well that there were gonna be loads of questions coming for him and he wouldn't know what to answer.

"Dammit that Akira…" Ryuji thought.

"Well, um…" Makoto decided to be the first one talking. "I never knew you were like that, Ryuji. It certainly is unexpectable."

"Yeah… I've always thought you liked girls." Futaba said, amused.

Ryuji just looked at the two simultaneously. "...Huh? What?"

"It's okay, Ryuji. You don't have to hide it. We're all fine with it, right?" Ann turned her face to the others, and they all nodded.

It took Ryuji almost a minute to completely understand what it all meant. His cheeks felt hot and turned bright red.

"...W-wait! It's nothin' like that at all! I swear!" Ryuji stuttered but somehow still retained his loud voice. He then poked his elbow on Akira's arm. "Man… You gotta say somethin'..." Akira turned his head to Ryuji, seeing his face. Akira couldn't help but made a little chuckle seeing Ryuji's panicked face.

"I don't mind if it actually was like that." Akira stated, facing Ryuji and making grin that looked almost condescending. The girls responded with a giggle, Morgana covered his mouth, trying his best to contain his laugh.

"So this is what it is called a masculine kind of love… I certainly am lucky to be able to observe this unique phenomenon right before my eyes." Yusuke mumbled to himself with eyes closed.

"W-what the hell, man?! You're just makin' it worse!" Ryuji shouted at Akira. If it was someone else they'd probably scream back at Ryuji and told him to keep his voice down, but Akira was already used to it since he pretty much almost always sat beside Ryuji on any occasion. It was worth the face he made when Akira teased him.

Ryuji looked away from everyone, eyes straight at the wall. He was thinking as hard as he could to not make it seem like what they thought he was doing. Because it really wasn't his intention. When he bought the chocolate yesterday, he thought it might give people wrong assumptions, but he needed something special to give to his best friend so what else could he get? He didn't expect Akira would tell everyone about it either. And he was even more pissed off by the way Akira said it, simple and to-the-point, just like how he always said things.

"Didn't he know that this would happen if he just blurted it out to the others? Didn't he care? Why the heck am I the only one acting like this?" Ryuji thought to himself.

He then remembered that the reason this topic was even brought up in the first place was because of the Boss. He knew that the Boss had no ill intentions, and he probably didn't know Akira got chocolate, too.

"If it really was, 'like that', then why did I even give Boss chocolate in the first place? Huh?" Ryuji raised his voice, trying his hardest to convince everyone.

They were all surprised that Ryuji could actually say something logical and not just random sentences. But it was soon broken by the Boss himself.

"I didn't even think of valentines when I saw mine." He brought over his chocolate box that he apparently kept in the fridge since there were still some chocolates inside. "See for yourself. Actually, don't bring in this old guy to your lovey-dovey stuff."

They unnecessarily gathered up on the counter, taking a good look at the chocolate box. And the Boss was right. The box looked classy, but it had no valentine vibes to it. It had nude, goldish colors that seemed fitting with the cafe's color scheme. It was definitely suiteable for boss.

"Ooh Sojiro's right!" Futaba excitedly said. "I'm gonna take one, Sojiro!" Futaba then took one piece of chocolate and chewed it down. Sojiro just smiled at her, he never thought Futaba liked dark chocolate, though. He thought Futaba was more of a milk chocolate kind of girl.

Ann then looked over at Ryuji and made a smirk. "Well, what do you say about that, Ryuji?"

Ryuji got his mouth shut. His mouth was repeatedly opening and closing, but no words came out from his mouth. He was extremely panicked. "Wh-I… uh…"

"Ryuji got his own reasons." Akira said, in a low voice. Akira thought it was too much for Ryuji by now, and he didn't want to seem like a bad friend, doing absolutely nothing while his friend was getting cornered like a mouse. It was fun and entertaining seeing Ryuji like before, but he didn't want to cross the line.

Ryuji glanced at Akira, then looked back at the others. "Y-yeah! It was just a gift, that's all there was to it!" Ryuji pressed his words even more, though still sweating himself.

Ann put her hand on her chin, "Hmmm… Oookay then~" Ann said, with a voice not at all convincing. She always liked to tease Ryuji, especially if it's about this kind of stuff. Even more because it was with Akira.

"To be honest, to me, it doesn't matter either way. I think it's adorable if you're with Akira. You two have always seemed so close anyway." Haru giggled. "But don't you think we should decide where to go by now? I don't want to bother the Boss even more."

"Haru's right. That's the main reason we gathered here in the first place, right?" Makoto agreed.

"I guess you're right…" Ann went back to her seat, looking at her phone. She opened a travel guide site, searching for good places to hang out in Shibuya. Makoto went along looking on Ann's phone, she wasn't the type that go out to these kind of places a lot, so it was nice to be friends with Ann who knows more about it. Ann always had a good time telling Makoto about her favorite places to go too.

The ones near the bar-Haru, Yusuke, Morgana, and Futaba all gathered up to look at some travel magazines Haru brought from home. She had a lot of them, since her father and her often go out of town and country for business purposes. Haru turned out to be pretty knowledgeable about popular and great places to visit, a total opposite from the other three, especially Futaba who only decided to go out of her room almost half a year ago.

Akira just looked at everyone, smiling. It was always nice to see his friends gathering up like this. He himself knew quite a lot good places to go because of his wide connections, though he probably haven't visited all of them. So he decided to just let his friends pick for him. He was the type of person who liked to go with the flow anyway. Unless he felt the need to go against the stream.

Suddenly Akira heard a sigh. It came from beside him, from Ryuji. He was just sitting there, body slumped over. He's usually hyped up talking about places for them to go to, but he didn't seem to be in the mood, or his mind was somewhere else.

"You okay?" Akira asked Ryuji, speaking inbetween the crowd noises his other friends made.

Ryuji turned his head slightly to Akira, almost lazily. "Yeah… I'm good." Ryuji said.

"Doesn't seem like it." Akira said. He arranged his posture to face Ryuji more comfortably.

Ryuji made a frown at that, but it looked more sulky than aggressive. It wasn't that visible either, with his torso bent forward. "I just got reminded of yesterday because of that talk just now."

"And is that a bad thing?" Akira asked, making some hand gestures.

Ryuji scratched his head. "Well, no. It's just, y'know… It's kinda embarrassing when you think about it now." He turned his gaze away from Akira, he really hoped Akira didn't know how awkward he's feeling right now.

"Why?" Akira asked. Simple, yet difficult to respond to.

Ryuji turned his face to Akira, looking straight at him this time. "Why? I dunno, man." Ryuji let out another sigh. "Maybe I just felt like such a wuss, like I let myself down. It wasn't supposed to turn out like that."

Akira put a hand on Ryuji's shoulder, patting it softly. "I don't think it's bad thing." He smiled. "You're just staying true to your feelings, like the usual Ryuji I know."

That, that smile of his. The smile that exactly made Ryuji feel too comfortable than normal. The smile that made Ryuji feel like the lesser one. Ryuji knew well Akira didn't mean it that way, but he just couldn't help the feeling. He loved to get comforted and supported by his best friend, but he also thought he's being too weak getting treated like so. Akira was the one going away, so why was he the one who needed encouragement? It was really frustrating for Ryuji, who protected his pride and who liked to show off his strength.

"You don't need to act nice to me, y'know? Don't… make me depend on you too much, man. I mean, I appreciate it but, cut it out a bit? Sometimes I just need a good scolding telling me to toughen up and not some pitiful comforting." There, he said it, Ryuji thought. Yesterday's incident had been bugging him for all night. He had mixed feelings about it. But luckily he was somehow still able to get a plenty amount of sleep. It was less than usual, but Ryuji usually slept like a log anyway.

Akira stayed silent and stared at Ryuji's eyes for a while. "You didn't like it?" Akira asked.

Ryuji put a hand on his forehead. "No, it's not that… I-uh, I liked it, it's just-"

"Then shouldn't it be okay?" Akira said before Ryuji was able to finish his sentence. "I liked it too. You relying on me, I mean. Because I've been doing the same to you."

Ryuji's eyes widened. He didn't think Akira would say that. It was almost impossible to predict what Akira's thinking anyway. He always looked so calm and composed, like nothing was affecting him. He was the complete opposite of Ryuji who blatantly show what he's feeling and thinking, Akira liked to keep it to himself and say something only when he needed to. It didn't even come to Ryuji's mind that Akira was actually relying on him, too.

It was really refreshing to know that. It gave Ryuji the feeling of self-worth, the feeling that he actually meant and could do something for Akira and not the other way around. "Really, Akira?"

Akira simply nodded at that, still with that ever-so-charming smile of his.

Ryuji didn't say anything for a short while. He was still surprised, with his mouth open. But it slowly turned into a grin, into a wide smile.

He then wrapped his arms around Akira. "Yeah! You can count on me too, man. Leave it to me!" Ryuji let out a satisfied laugh. The others noticed his sudden remark and moved their focus to him.

Akira chuckled at that. "I'm counting on you."

They both just laughed together. Their friends didn't know what was going on with the two but it was nice to see them getting all jolly like so.

"You two seem like you're having a great time." Makoto said, with a smile.

"What's up? Have you finally accepted your feelings, Ryuji?" Ann giggled.

Ryuji growled. "Would you just let it go-"

"Yes we finally discovered our love for each other." Akira suddenly wrapped an arm on Ryuji's waist and pulled him close.

It was the others' turn to get surprised. Ann squealed and Futaba made a funny shocked face, while Makoto and Haru let out a small laugh. Morgana let out a big laugh that only sounds like a loud 'meow' for Sojiro, which made him turn his focus from the kitchen to the cat in utter confusion. Yusuke stared at them with full interest.

Ryuji went bright red by that. "W-what the hell, man?! Stop it! They're getting the wrong idea!" Ryuji said while pushing Akira's hand away from his waist.

Akira stared for a while at Ryuji's face. Then, with no self-restraint, Akira let out a big laugh which surprised everyone. Even Morgana had never seen Akira laugh like that before. They all have their mouths and eyes open wide, like something unbelievable just happened right in front of them.

Akira then slowly turned down the laugh and wiped his eyes slowly from the tears that formed because of it. "Sorry about that."

"What are you laughing about? I've never seen you laugh like that before." Morgana said, moving his body forward in amusement.

"Ryuji." Akira said.

"Huh?" Ryuji said.

"I was laughing at Ryuji."

The others looked at each other and Ryuji's torso moved backwards in surprise. "Huh? What?"

Akira turned to face Ryuji but then quickly followed by another laugh. He covered his mouth this time. "Your face… that face you make."

"My face? What about my face?" Ryuji asked, genuinely surprised.

"It's funny." Akira said, still letting out a small laugh. "You're really interesting to look at."

"What? What is that even supposed to mean?!" Ryuji shouted.

"Actually, I think I know what Akira meant." Futaba said, looking at Ryuji's face, chuckling.

Then the whole cafe just laughed, except Ryuji that pretty much had no idea what was happening.

After the satisfying laugh, Ann decided to speak up about their travel destination.

"Hey, guys, about the place, how about we go to Shibuya Mark City? It's not too far and it pretty much got everything in there." Ann suggested.

"Ah! That place!" Yusuke suddenly stood up and shouted, everyone gasped in surprise. It really was hard to guess what's going on in the artist's head. Yusuke was similar to Akira in terms of quietness and unpredictability, but Yusuke still talked more than Akira. Even though it was mostly about art and beauty.

"I've always wanted to see Tora Okamoto's incredible piece, The Myth of Tomorrow." Yusuke closed his eyes and put a hand on his chest. "That mysteriousness... yet it also gives out such strong energy... I can't believe a painting could provide such wide varieties of emotions. It really is a fascinating piece. I would like to see it myself, if I may."

"Is that the enormous painting on the 2nd floor?" Haru asked in confirmation, even though she already knew the answer. Yusuke nodded in return. "I once read that the whole painting is 30 meters wide. It's really incredible."

"Well Inari would undoubtedly be happy going there." Futaba said, with a face that almost looked like she's sulking. "But what about us? What else is there?" Futaba asked. The place she had been familiar with are pretty much only Yongen, Shujin, and Akihabara, so she could be pretty hesitant in going somewhere else since even now she's still a bit nervous around new people.

"There are a lot of shops and restaurants, too." Ann said. "Don't you want to taste some new good food? Or maybe go shopping with me? I think I've seen some clothes that would suit you great!"

"Oh, r-really? New clothes…" Futaba mumbled to herself.

"Yes. It would be nice to have some spare outfits every now and then, wouldn't it? You might find something you like, too." Makoto said with her soft tone whenever she's talking with Futaba.

"Okay, then… But don't leave me alone there!" Futaba said. Her being stuck in a big crowd is pretty much a nightmare for herself and the others.

"Don't worry, we'll be with you." Haru smiled.

"So it's decided then. We're gonna go to Shibuya Mark City. Any complaints?" Ann looked around. She was asking but she was pretty much making an intimidating smile, forcing the others to still go there in the end anyway.

The others shook their head. They didn't mind and know any other good place to go anyway.

"Alright! Great!" Ann looked at her phone to check the time. "But It's already kinda late…" The phone clock displayed 5 PM on the screen.

"Wait? We've been doing nothing here for that long?" Ryuji said. "But we got here at 1 o'clock straight!"

"Well… It's probably because we took quite some time deciding where to go. And Akira didn't seem like he's in his best condition today." Makoto said.

"And we spent some time getting these two together, too." Ann grinned at both Ryuji and Akira. Ryuji just snapped at her.

"Should we postpone it to tomorrow?" Haru asked.

"That might be a good idea. We wouldn't get to do much if we go today anyway." Ann said. "Anyone got plans tomorrow?"

"Nope" Ryuji said.

"I'm on standby." Yusuke said.

"I don't have plans." Makoto said.

"I think I'm free tomorrow." Haru said.

"I'm probably just hanging around here." Futaba said.

"I'm free for you whenever, Lady Ann!" Morgana said.

Akira just shook his head.

"It's settled, then! We're going to Shibuya Mark City tomorrow!" Ann said, happily. "Let's meet here at 10, okay?"

They all agreed.

They then spent some more time at Leblanc, just chatting until it's nighttime. They rarely have time to just sit together and talk about their daily lives, anyway. When they gather like this, it was usually for a team meeting regarding the Metaverse or for upcoming exams. So it was refreshing for Akira and the others.

After it hit nighttime, they all decided to call it a day and Akira accompanied them to the station. Akira always did that, it was just a right and polite thing to do, though it was also because he wouldn't mind spending more time talking with his friends. Besides, the station wasn't far from Leblanc anyway.

Finally, they arrived at the station, and it was about time for them to depart. They all said their goodbyes and go their own routes. Akira, with Morgana on his shoulder and Futaba beside him, waved at them until the train departed, then went straight home.

Right after arriving at Leblanc, Sojiro told Akira that he's going back to his house and like usual, told Akira to flip the sign. It had been pretty much part of Akira's daily activities since Sojiro told him too many times already. Futaba then went home along with Sojiro.

Akira then went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and then went straight up to the attic. He changed his clothes to his loungewear and decided to just head to bed. He knew Morgana would just force him to sleep if he tried to go anywhere anyway.

Akira adjusted his sleeping position and Morgana just curled himself up near Akira's legs. He was finally ready to hit the hay but then his phone rung. Akira lazily picked up the phone to check who it was, and it turned out it was just Ann reminding everyone about tomorrow.

But shortly after, a new chat popped out. And it was from Ryuji.

Ryuji:  
Hey, man. You awake?

Akira:  
Yep.

Ryuji:  
Did I wake you up?

Akira:  
Nah. Just about to sleep.

Ryuji:  
Oh shoot, sorry 'bout that.

Ryuji:  
Nevermind then, 'night!

Akira:  
It's fine. What's up?

A minute passed.

Ryuji:  
Well, uh…

Ryuji:  
Thanks for today, man.

Ryuji:  
I was being kind of a jerk earlier. I mean, I was supposed to thank you but instead I became all defensive and shit.

Ryuji:  
Sorry 'bout that.

Akira:  
It's no problem.

Akira:  
Glad you can finally be honest to yourself.

Ryuji:  
Yeah.

Ryuji:  
Oh, and,

Ryuji:  
Why did you tell the others about that chocolate thing?

Akira:  
Because I got a chocolate from you.

Ryuji:  
That's not what I mean, Dude!

Ryuji:  
Y'know, forget it.

Ryuji:  
We should sleep for tomorrow. You don't wanna know how Ann is when she's mad.

Akira:  
Right.

Akira:  
By the way,

Ryuji:  
Yeah?

Akira:  
You look cute when you're being honest.

Ryuji:  
Dude, the heck? Even on phone?!

Ryuji:  
Seriously, man. Drop it. What if Ann reads this? What if Futaba tracks our chat? Who knows what they might say?

Akira:  
Just saying what I thought.

Ryuji:  
Wait, did you actually mean that?

Akira:  
Yep.

3 minutes passed.

Ryuji:  
Uh…

Ryuji:  
Uh, you still awake?

Akira:  
Yeah.

Ryuji:  
You… uh, did you mean all you said earlier at Leblanc?

Ryuji:  
You know… The whole thing after you told them about the chocolate.

Akira:  
I wasn't lying when I said I don't mind if it was a confession.

Akira:  
Don't know about us discovering love.

Akira:  
That was pretty much just messing with you.

Ryuji:  
Wait, what do you mean you don't mind?

Ryuji:  
You seriously don't feel weird about that?

Akira:  
Nope.

Ryuji:  
Oh…

Ryuji:  
So, uh… I never knew you swing that way.

Ryuji:  
Not that it's a bad thing or anything.

Akira:  
I swing any way.

Akira:  
You can swing facing forwards or backwards, right?

Ryuji:  
Dude, I'm not talking about actual swings.

Akira:  
Yeah, I know.

Akira:  
I mean, I don't care who that person is.

Akira:  
If I like that person then I don't mind.

Ryuji:  
Wow. I never thought of it like that.

A minute passed.

Ryuji:  
Wait, are you saying you like me?

Akira:  
Yep.

Another minute passed.

Ryuji:  
You… you mean in a best friend way, right?

Yet another minute passed.

Ryuji:  
Akira?

Ryuji:  
Dude, don't leave me hangin' here.

Akira:  
You were waiting for me to answer?

Ryuji:  
Of course! I mean, I asked you a question!

Akira:  
Who knows.

Ryuji:  
Huh?

Akira:  
I answered it.

Ryuji:  
"Who knows."? What kind of answer is that?!

Akira:  
I think I can't stay up much longer. I'm going to sleep. Talk again tomorrow.

Ryuji:  
Wait, what?

Ryuji:  
Goddammit Akira.

Ryuji:  
Alright, okay. Night, man.

Akira still read Ryuji's messages until the end, but he decided not to reply anything. And Akira slowly closed his eyes, trying his best to sleep. But he was having difficulties.

Because the cool Akira actually got his heart beating faster that night.


End file.
